Latest & Greatest in Holiday Cards: Get Naked
Loving our bodies, being positive, & celebrating life!
At People I’ve Loved, our heads are already with the holidays, at least a little bit—we’re still pretty in to summer at the moment.
But we are starting to think about the greetings we’d like to send along to the people we care about when winter, the holidays, and the new year roll into our lives.
While we always want to tell special people that we super love ‘em, this year we’ve been thinking about how to be the best version of ourselves for the people we love.
It’s more than telling your nephew, “I love you enough to explode!” but then being too exhausted to read his holiday favorite, Farts in the Wild: A Spotter’s Guide, to him 200 times in a row.
Just as much as we need to care for our favorite folks, we also have to take care of ourselves. It all starts with loving what’s closest to us: our own beautiful bodies, personalities, and (occasionally) messy lives!
We want to tell everyone we love that loving themselves is totally great. Even on the flat days, we are normal human beings in it together with shiny spirits. Let’s celebrate all we are together!
We look great & feel great & it’s finally time for some (quiet) party time!
Animal friends, warm baths, tea, and some home-baked goodies can make all the difference.
When thinking about the stuff we love around the holidays, one thing that popped to mind was the peacefulness of finally getting some much needed quiet time.
While it may be true that we know ourselves better in our thirties than we did in our twenties, I think it’s also true that work becomes life in our thirties.
We lose sight of that coveted “boredom time” where we can just sit alone with our thoughts, especially the mundane ones (such as, if an octopus had to walk up the stairs, which leg would it start with? I wonder about these things.).
While we gather up our families in December, we also get to leave work behind for a little while. We get to go home and pretend for a few days that we’re 16 again, Titanic is the most romantic movie ever made, and Linkin Park just gets us.
We clear our heads and by the time we get back to adult-life, we’re ready to take it on!
Wearing a comforter with sleeves never felt so right…
Carissa & I are both from the Midwest, so despite all this California sunshine, the holidays for us will always mean below zero temperatures, snow, and squishy winter coats.
The great thing about the cold is bundling up in our snuggliest get-up (basically a blanket with arms) and running around without a care in the world (I’m wearing my pjs under here and nobody has a clue!).
I’ve always loved my winter coats the best. They have the wildest patterns, the most vibrant colors, and fuzzy insides. Even though I live in California now, I still have three different sets of brightly colored mittens.
And the scarves! Scarves for every possible mood and occasion.
In winter, we’re all too cold to care that much about the minutia. It’s more about keeping our car from getting stuck in the snow and figuring out how to sleep in a bit longer while still leaving enough time to scrape half-inch thick ice off the windshield.
We get permission from the universe to stay snug all day long. It’s basically hugging season! Hug ourselves with fuzzy clothing and hug others to keep them warm.
In the absence of sufficient sunlight, we wear bright clothes, bedeck our homes with blinking lights, eat chili, and hug the people we love best.
Sharing a cup of tea can make everything feel better!
The greatest part of the holidays is being with our special people.
Living miles away from home means missing out on some big moments, like my nephew’s first steps. And while I enjoy living where I have job security, I do very much miss my family and friends (pretty much all the time).
When it comes to embracing the holidays and sharing big love, I turn to food. Nothing warms a frosty winter spirit quite like fresh baked snickerdoodles.
And the best spot for a heart-to-heart with mom...is over a lovely cup of tea (it may or may not have a whisper of brandy in it—but, hey! It’s the holidays).
When we get together around a full table and eat and talk until the kids fall asleep under the table, then we know we’ve connected. When we snuggle up with our sister under the blankets to watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve, we know we’re not alone.
When we get a bear hug from our dad at the airport, or when our best friend surprises us with a hand-painted card, or when our brother-in-law lets us talk about books for just a wee bit longer, we know we’re home.
We can rest up, enjoy the quiet (or the chaos of a full-house), leave work behind, and be with the people we love best during the time of year when we usually need them the most.
I’ll brew some extra tea in honor of that.
Big hugs,
Loretta
From around the net, we’re loving The Village Common!
www.thevillagecommon.com
Cozy gift perfection—the Village Common in Catskills, NY embodies the best hugs, warmth, and beauty of the holidays.
Ben & Blake bring nature into the home with their all-natural, pure plant based candles, sprays, & fragrances that exude peace & comfort at their peak.
Their handmade goods are steeped in three generations of family history, each item accented with unique artwork, and small touches of home living—from little packets of organic seeds to poetic descriptions built from their own experiences. These are gifts anyone will love.
And a little something to think about...
Take a few minutes each day to think about the things you like best about yourself (like your aptitude for grammar, a vivid imagination, or unwavering devotion to your dog).
We all get down once in a while, and we all have something wonderful to bring to this world.
Instead of thinking about what you need to improve, think about what you already do well. Life is demanding enough. Sometimes we can be proud of just being right where we are.
No one else is right here, right now. Think a few kind thoughts for this place in life.
